Anthony J. Martin is a

paleontologist Paleontology, also spelled as palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of the life of the past, mainly but not exclusively through the study of fossils. Paleontologists use fossils as a means to classify organisms, measure geolo ...

who has taught at

Emory University Emory University is a private university, private research university in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1836 as Emory College by the Methodist Episcopal Church and named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. Its main campu ...

since the early 1990s. He is best known for his books, ''An Introduction to the Study of Dinosaurs'', ''Life Traces of the Georgia Coast'', ''Dinosaurs without Bones'', and ''Life Sculpted: Tales of the Animals, Plants, and Fungi that Drill, Break, and Scrape to Shape Earth''. He is married to artist Ruth Schowalter. Martin's main area of expertise is

ichnology A trace fossil, also called an ichnofossil (; ), is a fossil record of biological activity by lifeforms, but not the preserved remains of the organism itself. Trace fossils contrast with body fossils, which are the fossilized remains of part ...

, the study of animal activity in modern and ancient sediments. He studied dwarf fossil faunas under Wayne A. Pryor at

Miami University Miami University (informally Miami of Ohio or simply Miami) is a public university, public research university in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the second-oldest List of colleges and universities in Ohio, university in Ohi ...

and Ordovician trace fossils under Robert W. Frey at the

University of Georgia The University of Georgia (UGA or Georgia) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Athens, Georgia, United States. Chartered in 1785, it is the oldest public university in th ...

. Both Pryor and Frey emphasized the need for ichnologists to study modern traces in order to understand trace fossils, and Martin took this to heart. He honed his

tracking Tracking may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Tracking, in computer graphics, in match moving (insertion of graphics into footage) * Tracking, composing music with music tracker software * Eye tracking, measuring the position of ...

skills in several field schools with emphasis on modern vertebrate ichnology. Having run numerous field trips and field courses on

Sapelo Island, Georgia Sapelo Island is a state-protected barrier island located in McIntosh County, Georgia. The island is accessible only by boat; the primary ferry comes from the Sapelo Island Visitors Center in McIntosh County, Georgia, a seven-mile (11 ...

and

San Salvador Island San Salvador Island, previously Watling's Island, is an islands of the Bahamas, island and districts of The Bahamas, district of The Bahamas, famed for being the probable location of Christopher Columbus's first landing of the Americas on 12 Oc ...

together with Emory colleague Stephen W. Henderson, Martin developed the experience necessary for books on ''Trace Fossils of San Salvador'' and ''Life Traces of the Georgia Coast''. Martin has visited Australia several times to lecture at

Monash University Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...

and to collaborate with researchers there on the ichnology of polar dinosaurs and the oldest known fossils of

crayfish Crayfish are freshwater crustaceans belonging to the infraorder Astacidea, which also contains lobsters. Taxonomically, they are members of the superfamilies Astacoidea and Parastacoidea. They breathe through feather-like gills. Some spe ...

. In the United States, he was part of the team that discovered the first known dinosaur burrow. He has also written several times on the ichnology of modern and fossil arthropods, including the modern ghost crab ''

Ocypode quadrata The Atlantic ghost crab, ''Ocypode quadrata'', is a species of ghost crab. It is a common species along the Atlantic coast of the United States, where it is the only species of ghost crab; its range of distribution extends from its northernmost re ...

'' and the Paleozoic trace fossils '' Arthrophycus'' and ''

Nereites ''Nereites'' is an ichnogenus of trace fossil. Modern tracemakers of incipient ''Nereites'' include worm-like organisms,Seilacher, A., 2007. Trace Fossil Analysis. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg (226 pp.) horseshoe crabsMartin, A.J., Rindsberg, A. ...

''. Martin is a proactive educator who uses the Web for education well beyond his Emory venue, notably by blogging, e.g., as the PaleoPoet and currently as author of "Life Traces of the Georgia Coast: Unseen Lives of the Georgia Barrier Islands".Martin, A. J. http://www.georgialifetraces.com/blog/

Select publications

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References

External links

Emory University faculty page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Anthony J. Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American paleontologists Emory University faculty St. Joseph's College alumni Miami University alumni University of Georgia alumni